Nobody here but us avid fans of the 2009 comedy-drama Julie & Julia...

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Day 26 - Julie, Julia & Jesus: A Christian Parable

Day 26.

I am not a religious person by any definition of the word, but that doesn't mean I can't celebrate Christmas the best way I know how: by trying to find Christian symbolism in Julie & Julia. I apologize in advance for any and all instances of blasphemy and sacrilege.

Happy birthday, bro.

Julia Child = Jesus Christ

It's pretty obvious from the start--Julia Child is a stand-in for the lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Aside from having the same initials, J.C., the two both have the ability to perform miracles, a devoted legion of followers and a passion for carpentry. Don't believe me? Just look at the casting. No one on Earth is more Christlike than Meryl Streep (except for maybe Morgan Freeman, who makes a damn good God). But really, Meryl is probably the most beautiful, graceful and elegant woman on the planet, whereas Jesus doesn't look too shabby himself. Both have been called the true messiah and Son of God. Both have walked on water and turned it into wine. Both have died for our sins and brought salvation to humankind--Julia through her cooking and ebullient personality, Jesus through crucifixion and subsequent resurrection. The parallels are obvious. Julia Child is Jesus Christ.

The real Last Supper.

In addition to the overwhelming Julia Child is Christ evidence, Julie Powell and her husband prove themselves to be devout disciples of Julia/Jesus, as they spend much of their time eating bread (the body of Christ) and drinking wine (the blood of Christ).

Not Mark Ruffalo loooooves eating Christ.

And to wash it all down? Bloooooood.

Plus, there's the whole obvious worshiping aspect of the Julie/Julia relationship dynamic. I mean, Amy Adams cooks a recipe out of Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking (a.k.a. the Bible) every single day. And the act of blogging can be clearly read as going to a daily mass. I mean, you don't have to be a pious Christian to pick up on the religious undertones of this film.

A photogenic multi-ethnic person finishes her prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amy Adams leaves a stick of butter for her savior, Meryl Streep.

So there you go, Julie & Julia is the most Christian film since The Passion of the Christ. I wonder if Mel Gibson's foul mouth and raging antisemitism will tarnish this movie's legacy as well. But I suppose that's for another day. Until then, folks--Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Oh my goodness, I laughed so hard at this post. Wonderful comic writing. What you said atually made sense too! It wasn't a stretch. Like Mastering the Art of French cooking being the bible and Julia being Jesus and with the same initials, oh hilarious. My favorite post so far.

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About the Lawrence/Julie & Julia Project

Julie Powell managed to cook/blog her way through all 524 recipes in Julia Child's cookbook in a year, learning valuable life lessons along the way. I hope to learn as much, if not more, by watching the film Julie & Julia every day for a year.